The Fire Within: The Ferris Wheel Incident
by The Mayor of Ninjago City
Summary: The red ninja has a dream in which he and his love interest, a cute college girl named Sam, go to the annual NinjagoFest carnival, and a storm rolls in. What happens in the dream? This story is based on the great fanfic The Fire Within, which can be found on this website and is written by measuremesky, who gave permission to use her material. This story follows Chapter 43 of TFW.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **This short story is based on the fanfic The Fire Within, which is authored by measuremesky and can be found on this website. The Fire Within focuses on the relationship between our favorite red ninja and a cute college girl named Sam. Chapters 41 through 43 cover the day Sam injures her shoulder. My story narrates a dream that Kai might have had that night, in which he imagines taking Sam to NinjagoFest, a local festival that will be held later in the summer. Measuremesky, who is a family member of mine, gave me permission to use her material.**

* * *

Chapter 43b - The Storm Brews

 _Kai fell asleep that night with a smile on his face, happy that he got to spend some time with Sam on the couch. And happy that she had not hurt her shoulder too badly when she ran into the bathroom doorframe. He began to dream..._

All afternoon, Kai and Sam had explored the grounds of NinjagoFest, riding carnival rides, sampling cotton candy and popcorn, and listening to different pop music bands. Kai even tried his hand at a few carnival games. He found them to be very easy - after all, he was a ninja - but he deliberately missed targets here and there so as not to attract undue attention to his specialized training.

While playing one game, he forgot to control his elemental power of fire, and he accidentally threw a fireball. However, since he was specifically aiming a ping pong ball at a goldfish bowl at the time, the fireball was doused when it - and the ping pong ball - landed in the bowl's water. Neither the ping pong ball nor the fish were the worse for it.

"Go ahead and give my prize to that little girl over there," Kai said to the game's proprietor, who was still blinking his eyes, wondering if he actually saw what he just saw. With a grin, Kai waved to him as he walked away with Sam, who was clutching the small pink bunny Kai had won for her a half-hour before at another game booth.

They failed to notice the sky as they walked along, deciding what to do next. The sun, which had shone brightly at the start of the afternoon, had given way to clouds.

Sam checked her watch. "It's getting to be dinner time soon. Wanna see if the line for the Ferris wheel got shorter? We could ride it and then maybe head to Mama Li's to eat. I'm about ready for some real food after eating all this carnival stuff!" she said with a laugh.

"Mmm, Mama Li's sounds good to me!" Kai said, his tastebuds already starting to anticipate the flame-broiled goodness of a juicy steak from Mama Li's restaurant. "I definitely need to limit my junk food intake, too. Gotta maintain my girlish figure!" Kai patted his stomach, playfully mocking his female companion.

His remarks were rewarded with a playful jab in his ribs by Sam's elbow.

They were disappointed to find that the line for the Ferris wheel had not diminished as much as they had hoped it would have, but since today was the last day of NinjagoFest, and they had no set schedule for the evening, they decided to stand in line and wait.

Sam's left hand had been holding the plush toy bunny for quite a while, and her left shoulder began to ache a little. "Hey, Kai," she asked, "would you mind putting Miss Bunny in my knapsack?" She turned her back to him so that he could access the carrier she wore to hold her belongings.

"How do you know it's a Miss Bunny and not a Mr. Bunny?" he quizzed her as he opened the zipper.

"Um, did you notice she's PINK?"

"Ok, good point," he chuckled, remembering the time a while back when Lloyd, still a child, pulled a practical joke and washed Zane's white uniform with Kai's own red one. Zane was not pleased with the pastel color that resulted.

Kai prolonged the banter with Sam, enjoying the strawberry scent of her ponytail. It was intoxicating.

"Hey, the bank might be looking for that million dollars in here," he joked as he stirred the contents of her knapsack with his hand, making room for the bunny. "You might want to return it."

"Ok, but I'll keep the gold bars I stole," Sam laughed.

"I bet this knapsack weighs as much as a gold bar, with all the stuff in it," Kai joked.

"Ha ha, Mr. Comedian. Here's the bunny," Sam retorted, reaching back to hand him the toy. She winced at the discomfort her shoulder gave her. "That reminds me - I'm running low on aspirin. I'll have to get some more on our next trip to Joe's," she said, referring to their weekly "date" to the grocery store where they first met and where they had started to shop together each Wednesday.

Kai took the toy, placed it in the knapsack, and closed the zipper with a flourish.

"Your bidding has been done, milady."

"Thank you, kind sir."

The Ferris wheel line slowly moved forward and eventually they got seated in a car, side by side. Sam removed her knapsack and placed it at her feet. As they were raised upward while the other cars were switching occupants, they looked out at the landscape and noticed, for the first time, the changed weather conditions.

"Boy, those clouds on the horizon look pretty dark," Sam frowned.

Kai agreed. "Yeah, but I bet the bad weather won't get here until we're safe inside Mama Li's. And the power just needs to stay on long enough for a nice juicy steak to get delivered to our table," he chuckled.

"I'll be happy if the power just stays on long enough till we get back on the ground again."

"Don't worry, Sam," Kai assured her, smiling as he looked into her eyes. "If anything happens, I'll protect you."

He had intended for his statement to be mere comedic banter, but something in the blueness of her eyes touched him deeply and made him think for a second.

Of course he would protect her from any danger. He would protect any citizen. That was his duty. He was a ninja.

But he realized she was becoming more to him that just a citizen.

Which meant that if he failed to protect her, he would feel the consequences more deeply.

Kai then mentally slapped himself for thinking such serious thoughts on a day of fun. He shook his head to clear his mind.

Being careful of her shoulder, he put his arm around her, just like he did on their first date. But unlike that night at the movie theater, this time there was no hesitation.

Sam rested her head on his shoulder, just like she did on their first date.

With new occupants now in all the cars, the Ferris wheel began its latest set of revolutions. Sam sat quietly, enjoying the beautiful Ninjago City scenery as the lights began to sparkle in the premature dusk.

Kai also sat quietly, happy to have beautiful scenery sitting next to him.

Meanwhile, the dark clouds steadily spread out from their position on the horizon to cover more of the sky.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed in the distance.

Seconds later, the entire carnival went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 43c - The Storm Approaches

 _Still sleeping, Kai rolled over and continued dreaming..._

Startled by the abrupt plunge into the darkness of the premature dusk, people all over the carnival grounds screamed. A second surge of screaming occurred with the roar of the lightning bolt's thunder. The now-unpowered Ferris wheel lurched to a stop. Kai and Sam's car had reached the high point of the ride.

"Whoa!" Kai exclaimed. "You OK, Sam?" He generated a fireball and held it up in order to see her better in the dim light.

"Yeah," she affirmed after flexing her neck and back to check. "Are you?"

"Yep," Kai answered. "So I guess this means you're not going to be happy now," he teased her, referring to her earlier remark about losing power on the ride.

She scrunched her nose at him.

Kai surveyed the landscape from their bird's-eye vantage point. "Wow! I bet that lightning bolt hit Ninjago City's main power station. Looks like the whole city is out," he observed. "I hope the carnival has backup generators."

As if on cue, lights began to flicker on the ground. Kai and Sam could see the food kiosks, game booths, and ticket counters being re-lit. Beyond the carnival, the city twinkled as street lamps and high rise buildings switched to alternative power sources.

The Ferris wheel, however, remained dark and still.

The couple became aware of the sound of crying children in the next car. It appeared that a young mother was attempting to comfort her two young sons with little success.

A second lightning bolt flashed.

"Um, OK, guys, you can start us up anytime now," Sam said to imaginary ride operators. "I'm done playing human lightning rod."

Her tone was light, but Kai sensed an undercurrent of anxiety.

Right after the thunder rumbled, the couple could hear the sound of a voice on a bullhorn from ground level. From their high perch, the message was not fully audible, but they could make out phrases like "emergency personnel", "rescue ladder", and "stay calm".

"Sounds like we'll be getting off this ride using a Plan B," Kai commented.

As he spoke, the wail of fire trucks, one being a ladder vehicle, grew louder. The convoy halted below them. A spotlight truck was activated. Its bright light shone on the Ferris wheel, casting eerie shadows. Kai's fireball was no longer needed, so he waved his hand to extinguish it.

A third lightning bolt flashed, this time followed closely by another bolt. The storm was getting closer.

The little boys in the next car started crying harder.

Kai exhaled loudly as they watched the lower cars start to be evacuated. He turned to Sam and clasped her hands in his own.

"Sam, I feel like I need to help out the rescuers with the evacuations. I figure that with me being a ninja and all, I can climb down and use my skills to help get some of the kids to safety. But how much would you hate me if I leave you here?" He bit his lower lip, nervously awaiting her reaction.

"Oh, Kai, I wouldn't hate you - I'd be proud of you!" Sam reached out and hugged him tightly. Kai reciprocated the hug, closing his eyes as he breathed in the strawberry scent of her hair for a brief moment.

"Before you go down, though, do you think you can help me get to the next car?" Sam asked as she straightened up and found his hands again. "That poor mom could use some help with her kids."

"Great idea!" Kai squeezed her hands. "I'm proud of you, too!" His smile was wide as they stood up and prepared to exit their car. He helped her rehang her knapsack on her back.

After alerting the mom that they were coming, Kai decided that the best way to get to the family's car, which was located downslope from them, was to slide backward down the connecting rail that was located above their heads.

He stood on the seat of the car and easily swung himself up onto the rail, straddling it. Sam then stood on the seat of the car. He placed his hands under her shoulders and, on the count of three, hoisted her up and seated her in a straddle position so that her knapsack was against his chest.

He was very glad she wore a knapsack because otherwise there would have been nothing to prevent full body contact with her. And full body contact with her would be a sweet distraction from the task at hand. Concentrating on their treacherous sky journey amid the dizzying effect of her strawberry scent was tough enough. As it was, he had to wrap his arms around her to grasp the rail in front of her and guide them both carefully down.

 _Focus, Kai, focus_ , he silently told himself.

Within five minutes they reached the next car. Kai lowered Sam safely into it, then swung himself down.

After quick introductions were made to the mom and her boys, Kai turned to Sam.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a little while," he told her before he began his descent down the Ferris wheel. "I know by then I'll definitely be ready for a Mama Li's steak. Maybe two!" he joked.

A bolt of lightning changed the mood from jovial to serious.

"Be careful, Kai!" Sam implored.

Kai was touched by the worry in her eyes. "I will," he promised. "You be careful, too."

Then, surrendering to impulse, he gently cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips. The strawberry taste of her gloss, which was just as intoxicating as the strawberry scent of her hair, persuaded him to let his lips linger on hers several seconds longer than intended.

He stepped back and looked at her. She was staring back at him, her mouth open as if in surprise. But he could not determine an expression on her face.

There was no time for further talk. Kai had to leave. He flashed her a smile, hopped over the side of the car, and began his climb down to the ground.

Kai was too preoccupied to pay attention to the sound of the boys' exclamations of "Ewww! Kissing!", which grew faint as he made his way down the Ferris wheel. Different emotions swirled through his mind:

 _Embarrassment_ , that perhaps he had just prematurely pushed his relationship with Sam into a direction she might not have been ready for.

 _Anger_ , at the way the weather was messing up his day.

A lightning bolt flashed just then, which prompted another emotion.

 _Fear_ , that something bad was about to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 43d - The Storm Arrives

 _Kai kept dreaming, switching his sleeping position so that now he was on his back..._

Upon reaching the ground, Kai consulted with emergency personnel about how he could assist them. It was decided that he could use a back harness to transport small children from their cars and return them to the ground.

Kai climbed up the Ferris wheel again and began to visit stranded cars that had not yet been evacuated by the fire department. Then, whenever he was asked to by a parent, he strapped a child into a harness, secured the harness to his own back, and climbed down to the ground with the precious cargo. He repeated this several times.

Every so often, he would glance up at the car where Sam waited to be evacuated along with the mom and her boys. It appeared that Sam was succeeding in distracting the boys from their crying, for he could see them peeking over the side and waving at him as she pointed in his direction. He waved back when he could.

Unfortunately, Kai's job was getting tougher as the minutes passed. The higher up the cars were, the longer it took him to climb up and down. And as the storm approached, the danger of lightning was joined by another threat - gusty winds.

At last Kai reached the final car, the one with the mom and two boys, and Sam. Her eyes shone as he climbed in the car. _At least she's not upset at me about what happened earlier_ , he thought.

"Hi, Mr. Kai!" the little boys shouted in greeting.

"Hi boys!" Kai responded. "Who wants to go on an adven-whoa!" he exclaimed as he temporarily lost his balance. The winds were picking up and causing the car to sway.

Two more lightning bolts flashed.

"Are you OK, Kai?" Sam anxiously asked. The thunder roared.

"Oh yeah, no problem," he replied, "but" - he looked up at the menacing sky - "I'm starting to think that we might need to speed things up here." After a deep breath, he turned to the mom.

"Would it be all right with you if I took both boys down at the same time? I think that if I just go a bit slower on the way down, and the boys promise not to fidget, we'll be just fine."

Mom, having just observed Kai transport numerous other kids to safety, trusted his judgment, so she consented.

Kai stooped down to talk to the boys directly. "Ok, guys, are you ready for an adventure?"

Not unexpectedly, his query was met with a resounding chorus of "Yeah!" This time, Kai hooked one leg of each boy in the harness. Then, with admonitions of "Keep a good hold" and "Remember not to fidget," he secured the harness to himself, and the three of them went over the side of the car, but not before Kai cast a tender glance at Sam.

She smiled back at him, her blue eyes sparkling. _Maybe she IS ready for our relationship to grow a little more_ , he thought optimistically.

Though the boys behaved well on the climb down from the top of the Ferris wheel, the trip was more arduous than Kai anticipated, thanks to the wind, so he was grateful when firm ground was under his feet once again and the boys had been unhooked from the harness. Realizing he was thirsty, he walked a few dozen feet away to a concession stand to buy a bottle of water. The cashier, who had watched him climb up and down the carnival ride, refused his money, saying the drink was on the house. Kai thanked him.

Taking a gulp of water and turning around to look back at the Ferris wheel, he could see that the fire department ladder had at last made it to Sam's car, the final car to be evacuated. He could see Sam motioning to the boys' mom to get on the ladder first.

Kai felt relieved knowing that all the children were safe and that, shortly, all the adults would be safe, too. An exceptionally strong gust of wind blew through his hair as he set down the water bottle and bent forward to stretch his sore back muscles. He still wanted to take Sam to Mama Li's, but he hoped she wouldn't mind if they first stopped at the Bounty so he could take a quick shower and freshen up.

Gasps and cries of alarm from the people around him interrupted Kai's thoughts. He stood up straight again and looked up at where the people were focusing their attention.

To his horror, he saw Sam holding on and dangling from the side of the Ferris wheel car. The rescuer on the ladder was frantically trying to reposition the apparatus in order to grab her. Though in shock, Kai pieced together snippets of talk from the people around him - "gust of wind", "car swayed violently", "lost her balance" - and instantly realized what had happened.

The crowd gasped again when Sam's left hand slipped from the edge of the car.

 _Oh no!_ Kai thought, remembering the earlier incident with the toy bunny. _Her shoulder hurts her!_

Dangling by one hand from a violently swaying cart unfortunately led to the inevitable.

As Sam plunged to the ground, Kai raced toward the Ferris wheel at break-neck speed, his heart pounding. The one clear thought on his mind was...

 _I have to protect her!_

Just as Pixal had once saved a falling Zane from a death of being crushed by two large grinding gears, Kai leaped and grabbed Sam just before she hit the ground, and his forward momentum propelled them into a series of forward rolls until they finally came to a stop.

Kai landed on his back. He lay there for a minute, breathing heavily as he shook his head to clear away his dizziness. He then turned on his side and lifted himself up on his elbow to attend to Sam. She also had landed on her back, right next to him, but her knapsack was underneath her, propping her up in such a way that she faced toward him. She moaned. Her eyes were closed.

"Sam! Sam! Are you OK?"

Sam's eyes fluttered open. At first she looked around with unfocused eyes, but when she recognized Kai, her gaze became sharp again.

"Oh, Kai, I...I...I almost died!" And she began to sob, wiping her tears with the back of her right hand.

Kai realized that Sam was undergoing some post-traumatic stress.

"Sh. Don't worry, Sam, you're safe now," he softly assured her as he stroked her golden blonde hair.

Her sobbing slowed and she looked at him with vulnerable eyes.

Gently wiping away her tears with his thumb, he said, "When we first got on the Ferris wheel, I said I'd protect you if anything happened, and by golly, I guess something happened!"

His attempt at light humor made her smile, and before he realized it, she had used her right arm to bring his face close to hers. This time, she placed her lips on his.

Yet another lightning bolt flashed. This time, torrential rain followed.

The storm had finally arrived.

Kai did not care about the storm. He did not care about getting wet. All that mattered to him at that moment was a blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty who, only moments before, could have been lost to him forever.

Her tender kisses were igniting his soul. Their lips still touching, he pulled her close to him, no longer hesitant to make full body contact.

He wanted to protect her from the cold.

He wanted to protect her from the rain.

He wanted to protect her from any more attempts by an evil Fate to take her away from him.

"Mr. Smith?" a voice of a man standing above them inquired.

Startled, Kai looked up. It was one of the firefighters he had talked to earlier, now dressed in a raincoat.

"How is she doing?" the lieutenant asked.

Kai noticed the flashing lights of an ambulance behind the lieutenant. It was apparent they had come for Sam.

"I'm thinking she could use a night in the hospital, for observation purposes," Kai answered.

The lieutenant signaled to the ambulance personnel, and they brought out a stretcher. Kai stood up as they gently lifted Sam off the ground. Since she was still wearing her knapsack on her back, they sliced the straps for easier removal and gave it to Kai. As they loaded her into the vehicle, she flashed Kai a weak smile.

The lieutenant turned to Kai again. "And how do YOU feel? That was one heck of a gymnastics exhibition you put on back there."

"I'm just a little sore, but I'll be fine."

"Glad to hear it. You can ride with her if you want," the lieutenant said, nodding his head in the direction of the ambulance.

Kai smiled. "I'd like to."

The lieutenant smiled back. "I thought you might. Ask the paramedic for an extra blanket to dry yourself off with."

"Thanks!" Kai said, realizing he was starting to get chilled. He hopped in the back of the ambulance with Sam once she was set to go, and they took off for Ninjago City General Hospital.

"Do you have an extra blanket?" he asked the paramedic as the emergency vehicle headed down the rainy road.

"Sure." The paramedic reached for the top blanket of a pile of them and tossed it to Kai.

Kai was not able to catch it and it landed on his head, covering his eyes...

 _When Kai removed the blanket from his head, he found himself in a dark room. The bedroom he shared with his brothers. It was the middle of the night._

 _Kai realized he had been dreaming. He remembered asking for a blanket in his dream. He must have asked out loud, for it was apparent one of his brothers had wakened, tossed one of their own blankets at him, and fell back asleep._

 _Kai couldn't decide if he would classify his dream as a bad one, because of the scary stuff, or a not-so-bad one, because it ended all right and because of...certain other stuff._

 _One thing was for sure, he told himself as he fell back asleep. If he took Sam to NinjagoFest later that summer, he'd definitely check the weather forecast first._

 _**** The End ****_


End file.
